Feed grain has been used for a number of years for feeding cattle and other domesticated animals. Grain flaking processes are well known for making the grains more easily digestible by an animal. Increased digestibility of grain has a directed result on increasing the ability of the animal to gain weight or increase milk production, such as for dairy cattle. Steam flaking of grain is common for grains such as barley, sorghum, wheat, and corn. A number of methods have been developed that are tailored to processing these grains to make them more digestible.
A basic steam flaking grain process includes subjecting the grain to a steam-pressurized environment, such as a steam chest that is filled with pressurized steam at selected temperatures and pressures. The grain held within the steam chest absorbs moisture from the steam. Grain flaking is done in a continuous process. The grain travels through a steam pressurized environment for a controlled period of time prior to being transported to a rolling station where pressure rollers are used to flake the grain forming discrete pieces of grain, referred to as grain flakes.
One primary objective in the steam flaking process is to gelatinize the starch in the grain, and this gelatization process solublizes the grain thereby making it more easily digested by an animal. Thus, increasing the starch digestibility of the grain can maximize the digestive efficiency of the animal, which in turn enhances the performance of the animal.
Over or under processing the grain directly affects an animal's ability to efficiently digest the grain. Therefore, it is known to place various controls in a grain flaking process to ensure that the grain is optimally processed. Variables such as temperature and pressure within the steam chest, as well as moisture content of the grain during processing are known variables to be monitored and adjusted in order to optimize the steam flaking process. However, traditional methods for steam flaking of grain require various manual actions to be taken in order to finely tune the machinery in order to optimize flaking. Other factors that influence creation of the gelatinized starch include the grain quality and the density of the grain. Grain quality and density differ among different types of grain, as well as among different batches of grains produced from different locations. Ultimately, to effectively penetrate a starch granule to cause it to be gelatinized, a number of factors must be tightly controlled during the grain flaking process, and the failure to adequately monitor and control these variables will result in under or over processing of the grain.
Therefore, it is one object of the invention to provide greater control over a steam flaking grain process. It is yet another object of the present invention to increase control over the process through automation, and the simultaneous monitoring of a number of system parameters in order to maximize efficiency in the process. It is another object of the present invention to increase the repeatability and consistency of the steam flaking process, thereby maintaining a desired level of gelatinization yet minimizing manual intervention. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide the capability to periodically test the quality of the processed grain, and to adjust various system parameters without shutdown of the system, yet quickly reacting to substandard grain flaking results. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a system and method wherein the grain flaking process is adaptable to many different types of grains without having to manually intervene to adjust a significant number of system parameters.
One example of a prior art reference disclosing a method for steam flaking of grain includes the U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,831. This reference more specifically discloses a steam flaking process wherein resulting flakes have a predetermined density and a predetermined amount of gelatinization by weighing sampled flakes to determine density of the sampled flakes, and then adjusting temperature, pressure, the retention time in the steam chest, and the size of the gap between the rollers. In another embodiment, the sampled flakes are cooled for a predetermined time, and then screened before measuring density.
One reference disclosing a device for automatically adjusting the gap between the rollers in a grain flaking process includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,887. The device disclosed includes simultaneously operated screw jacks that adjust the gap and a shaft mounted gearbox to accomplish the drive of a secondary roll from the primary roll. A tensioning device permits the automatic adjustment of the gap between the rolls while maintaining tension between drive belts utilized for driving the shaft mounted gearbox.
While these references may be adequate for their intended purpose, there is still a need to address the deficiencies as set forth above.